Biography & Memoir

Lyn Nofzinger was an official in the Nixon administration and was Reagan's press secretary and later his aide in the White House, where he was known as a "hatchet-man". He has a new political memoir, called "Nofziger." He Fresh Air to talk about Reagan's recent decision to campaign for President Bush.

Rivers has a new autobiography, "What Did I Do?" He's known by art historians as "a great figurative painter," "the father of Pop Art," and is recognized as the first American artist to use vulgar objects in an artistic context. Rivers was part of a loosely knit association of poets and painters in New York in the 50's. His book looks back at his work as a jazz saxophonist, his drug use, and his unashamed interest in sexuality.

Lessing is the author of more than thirty books, including, "The Fifth Child" and "The Golden Notebook." She grew up in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), but was exiled for twenty-five years when she began to speak out against the oppressive white-ruled government. Lessing has just written a new book, "African Laughter," a personal story about the trips she took to Zimbabwe between 1982 and 1992.

Book critic John Leonard reviews "African Laughter," Lessing's memoir of the four times she visited the country of her birth--now called Zimbabwe--and her impressions of its changing social and political climate.

Greer came into the spotlight in 1970 with her controversial book, "The Female Eunuch." Since then, she has written many books dealing with women's issues and is widely thought of as one of the forbearers of the women's movement. Her new book, "The Change," challenges accepted beliefs about female aging and menopause.

Williams is a a writer and naturalist-in-residence at the Utah Museum of Natural History. Born a Utah Mormon, Williams has written several books about the environment and the West, such as "Coyote's Canyon" and "Earthly Messengers." Her most recent book, "Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place," concerns her mother's unsuccessful battle with cancer and the flooding of the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge by the rising Great Salt Lake waters.

After nine years of stand-up comedy, Reynolds wrote a one-man show based on his life, called "Only the Truth is Funny." After ten months of sold-out shows, he was discovered by the agents to Woody Allen and David Letterman. He then moved his show to New York City. His new book is based on his solo show.

Rhodes won both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award for his book, "The Making of the Atomic Bomb." His book, "A Hole in the World," an account of his abused childhood, was critically acclaimed. His new book, "Making Love," is a sexual autobiography, an account of how he used sex to help him work through the trauma of child abuse. It's been called, "A stunning act of self-revelation, bound to create a stir."

Salas is the author of three critically-acclaimed novels. His new book, "Buffalo Nickel," is a novelistic autobiography. Salas's mother died when he was 11 and he was left in the primary care of his two older brothers, Al, a Golden Gloves champion, and Eddy, a college student. Al became involved with drugs and crime; Eddy committed suicide.

Lowry's new non-fiction book, "Crossed Over" was her way to understand the life and death of her son, Peter, who was killed in a hit-and-run accident. The book interweaves Peter's story with that of Karla Faye Tucker, a woman on death row in Texas. Both had happy early childhoods but became troubled teenagers, rebellious, angry and out of control.

Lehrer is the cohost of "The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour." He has a new autobiography, "A Bus of My Own." He talks to Terry about how he found time to write the book despite his grueling schedule.

Transplant surgeon pioneer Thomas Starzl. Last June he supervised the surgical team that transplanted a baboon's liver into a 35 year-old man who was dying of hepatitis B. It has since become known that the patient was HIV-positive, though he showed no symptoms of the disease. The case raised questions about whether it's ethical to "experiment" on a person who is HIV-positve. Starzl has a new book, called "The Puzzle People."

Kremlin insider Georgi Arbatov. His new book, "The System," is a memoir of his long political career as Director of the Institute for the USA and Canada, the Soviet Union's most influential foreign policy think-tank. He was not a dissident or an enemy of the system; rather, he worked within it. His book begins with his World War II career, chronicles the repressive Stalin era, the Cold War, the August 1991 coup attempt and its aftermath. He's been an adviser to every Soviet leader from Khruschev to Yeltsin.

Sean and Judy Barron. This son and mother have written a book together, "There's A Boy in Here," about Sean's escape from autism. Sean tells of the rigid rules he developed to control the world which had been terrifying to him since birth. Sean's parents refused to let him withdraw, and after years of interrupting his isolation, he gradually emerged. Sean has graduated from college and is pursuing a degree in occupational therapy.

Kittredge is best known for his writings about the West of the United States. He grew up on a ranch in southeastern Oregon and ranched himself for ten years. He also taught for years at the University of Montana. His new book is a memoir, "Hole in the Sky," about the land owned by his family for three generations.

In light of the current debate over abortion and "family values," critic Maureen Corrigan reviews the new biography of social reformer and birth control champion Margaret Sanger, by Ellen Chesler.

Monette's book "Borrowed Time: An AIDS Memoir," published in 1988, was one of the first memoirs to be published about AIDS. It told the story of his lover's two year struggle with AIDS. Since then, Monette has watched another lover die of AIDS, and has been diagnosed with AIDS himself. Monette's new memoir about his life before he came out of the closet at the age of 25 is called "Becoming a Man: Half a Life Story."

Journalist and biographer Nick Tosches. His new biography is "Dino: Living High in the Dirty Business of Dreams," (by Doubleday). It's about singer Dean Martin but it also looks at the culture that created him. He was part of the mob culture, and Hollywood's "Rat Pack." The book also delves into the reasons for the infamous breakup between Dean Martin and his comedy partner, Jerry Lewis. Dean Martin is now 75 years old.

Physician and photographer David Heiden. Heiden worked in the refugee camps of eastern Sudan during the Ethiopian famine of 1985. His book, "Dust to Dust," chronicles the experience using his personal journal entries and photographs. Heiden has also been a medical relief worker at refugee camps in Thailand and Somolia. (published by Temple University Press, Philadelphia).

Former Democratic presidential candidate Paul Tsongas. He talks with Terry about the campaign process and being on the campaign trail. Also his book, "Heading Home," has just been reissued. It's about his fight with and recovery from cancer. (Vintage Books).